As Energy Use Goes Down, Other Consumption Goes Up!

With thousands of people at the stadium watching the game, and millions of fans around the world glued to their televisions, it might come as a surprise to learn that less energy overall actually is consumed during a Super Bowl game than would be used during that same time on a less-exciting day.

A study conducted by Outlier (a blog published by the customer engagement platform Opower) found that during the 2012 Super Bowl, electricity usage went down. Compared to a typical Sunday afternoon and evening, residential power consumption dropped by 5 percent between the hours of 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

And not only are most households committed to watching TV for several hours one Sunday a year, but the Super Bowl is typically watched together — so there is usually one TV on that everyone is gathered around.